Door guide



Dec. 2 9, 1942. c. NORTON ETAL v 2,306,493

DOOR GUIDE Original FiledJuly 17, 1941 s Sheets-Sheet 1 +1 I I i bf: 82 55 I E-bi FIG. Z a/3M WAMJTW JWENTQRS ATTORNEY C. NORTON ET AL Dec. 29, 1942.

DOOR GUIDE Original Filed July 17, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WN LK v 3 8 Mn JAVINVENTORS BY nail Mu ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1942. c. NORTON EIAL 0 DOOR GUIDE v 4 I Original Filed July 17, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mmwmw. Q

INVENTO 5 ATTO NEY Patented Dec. 29, 19 42 noon Clifiord Norton, Summit, and Benjamin WhiteheadrTucker, Jr., South Orange, N. J., assignors to Otis Elevator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey f -riginal application July 17, 1941, Serial No.

402,796. Divided'and this application Febru- J ary 19, 1942, Serial No. 431,545

1 Claim. o1. 16-93) The invention relates to guides'for doors, especially vertical bi-parting doors.

Thisapplication is a division of application Serial Number 402,796 of Clifford Norton and Benjamin Whitehead Tucker, Jr., filed July 1'7, 1941." I I In freight elevator installations such as in factories and warehouses, many of the elevators are of large capacity and it is desirable in installations such as these that wide openings be pro- .vided at the floors to afford access to and from the cars.

Vertically movable lei-parting doors are especially suitable for such installations inasmuch as with such doors, the door openings can be made as wide as the car. The door sections are guided on vertical-guides and are connected together in counterbalancing relationship so that even though the doors are large and heavy, they are easy to operate.

It is desirable that such doors be of sturdy construction and that they mayreadily be repaired as they are subject to hard usage. Also fire protection is an important factor in buildings of such character and it is desirable that the doors provide an effective seal of the hatchwayopenings against smoke and flame. Flame angles are provided to form a seal along the sides of the door sections While the jointbetween the abutting door sections when closed is sealed by an astragal secured to the bottom of the upper door section. The door sections overlap the top and bottom o'f'the hatchway openings and in case the doorsare of the pass type, the space between the top of the upper door section and the soffit of the hatchway opening is sealed by a lintel which is movable to enable the lower section of the door above to move to open position overlapping this upper section. It is desirable that the door be constructed so as to eifectively retain these seals under the influence of heat and water. In insuring such buildings, special consideration is given hatchway doors of a construction'which have passed certain fire tests provided-by the Underwriters Laboratories. I y The object of the invention as applied to verti cal moving doors is to provide guides on the door for cooperating with stationary guide. rails,- which guides are of simple construction and economical tomanufacture and which enable" the door. to expand in case of fire without strain on the door or guide rails. 1

The invention will be described in connection with avertical bi-parting elevator-hatchway door; In carrying out the-invention according to the arrangement which will be described, the

door sections are provided with guide shoes biased to position for cooperating with theguide rails by springs'to permitthe expansion of the doorsections in case of fire. Also these-guide shoes facilitate'the mounting of the door'sections.

on the guide rails as the door sections may be mounted with the guide rails in place .by pressing the springs.

A general idea'of the invention, the mode of carrying it out which is at present preferred, and the various features and advantages there-' of will be gained from the above statements; Other features and advantages of-vthe invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claim.

In the drawings: 1

Figure 1 is a schematic representation in rear elevation, with certain parts omitted, of a vertical'bi-parting counterbalanced pass type hatchway door embodying the invention, illustrating the application of both power operating mechanism and locking mechanism to the door;

Figure 2 is a fragmental view similar to Figure 1, in which the door is hand operated;

Figure 3 is an enlarged top view of one edge of the door and its-guidestaken from above the upper door section;

Figure 4 is a similar View taken from above,

the lower door section;

Figure 5 is an enlarged end view of the door;

and 7 Figure 6 isan enlarged rear view of one edge of the door taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 5. K

Referring to Figure 1, the door I5 is illustrated as a vertical b-i-parting door'positioned for closing an elevator hatchway opening indicated by floor level I6 and soffit H. The upper section of the door is designated 28, while the lower section is designated 2l.- The upper section'is provided with a vision panel [9 The top of the lower section is provided'w'ith a truck able sill 22. -The bottom of the upper section is provided with rubber bumpers '23 which rest on the top of thesillwhenjthe door is closed. Each section is provided with a plurality of guide shoes 24, two on each side thereof. The guide shoes for the lower section cooperate with guide rails- 25, while those for the upper section cooperate with guide rails 26. The sections are connected together in counterbalancing relationship. This is effected on each side of the door by a chain 21 connected to a bracket 28 secured to the side of the upper door section at the bottom. From the bracketthe chain extends upwardly and overcom-" '.b0tt0m and central of the door.

a sheave 30 and is connected through a rod 3| to the end of sill 22. The supporting bracket 32 for sheave 30 is secured to the guide rail 26.

An elongated bar 33 is secured on the right hand side of the upper door section to angles 34 in turn secured to the door section. This bar serves as a lock bar, being engaged by the notched end of a latch lever 35 when the door is closed to lock the door sections against opening movement. This lever is secured to a pivot shaft 35 rotatably supported on bracket 32. Se-

cured to shaft 36 is a lever 31'which carries an operating roller 38. This roller is adapted to be engaged by a retiring cam carried by the elevator car to move the latch lever into position to disengage the lock bar and unlock the door. This cam is retracted during operation of the car so as to clear the operating rollers for the door locks for the floors at which stops are not to be made.

The latch lever may also be operated manually through a bell crank lever 40 p-ivotally mounted -on the inside of the upper door section near the One arm of this lever serves as an operating handle and the other arm is connected by a rod 4| to a second ibell crank lever 42 which is connected to a vertical rod 43. The lever 42 is weighted to counterbalance the weight of the rod. The rod 43 :is bent inwardly near its upper end and then back to form a cam 44. The upper end of this rod extends through a guide aperture in a bracket 45 secured to the top of the door section. This cam when pulled downwardly engages a pin on latch lever 35 to unlock the door. This downward movement is effected by clockwise movement of operating lever 48, a stop 46 being provided to limit the movement of this lever. Continued pushing on operating lever 48 after it engages stop 46 moves the door to open position. The latch lever 35 is arranged to operate switching mechanism 48 when the door is unlocked, this being effected through a link 58 connecting the switching mechanism to a lever on shaft 36.

Contacts of switching mechanism 48 control the operation of motor 53 which provides the power for moving the door sections to open and close positions. This motor is mounted on a bracket 54 secured to the guide rail 26 at one side of the door, this bracket being also secured.

to the hatchway wall in certain instances to provide extra support. This motor drives a sprocket 55 through gear reduction 52, the sprocket in turn driving a sprocket chain 56. One end of this chain is secured to the sill 22 from which it extends upwardly over sprocket 55, thence downwardly and around another sprocket 57 and thence back to sill 22 to which the other end of the chain is secured. A shaft 58 extends across the lower door section beneath the sill being supported in bearings 69 depending from the sill. At each end of this shaft is secured a sprocket 6| which meshes with a stationary chain 62. These chains are secured to guide rails 26 through brackets 63 and 64, the connections being through eye bolts 55 in order that the chainsmay be adjusted and kept taut. These chains serve as racks upon which the sprockets move during operation of the door and prevent tilting of the door about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the door. Shoes 59 are provided for maintaining the sprockets in mesh with the chains. Stops 65 are secured to guide rails 25 in position to engage the endsof sill 22 when the door is open to support the lower section with the sill in line with the floor level IS. The sprocket 51 acts through gearing 61 to operate further control switching mechanism 68 for the motor, this switching mechanism being mounted on bracket 64[ In operation, as the car stops at the floor, the retiring cam is extended and engages roller 38 swinging lever 35 into position to disengage the lock bar 33, unlocking the door. Also, certain contacts of switching mechanism 48 are engaged causing the energization of motor 53 for rotative movement of sprocket 55 counterclockwise. This sprocket acts through chain 55 to pull down on the lower door section. At the same time the upper door is pulled upwardly through its connection to the lower door section by chain 21. Thus the two sections counterbalance each other minimizing the load on the motor. The door is brought'to a stop upon the engagement of the truckable sill with stops 66. During the door opening operation motor 53 is controlled by switching mechanism 68 to be slowed down as the door nears open position. To close the door,- the motor is energized for reverse rotative movement and acts through chain 56 to pull up on the lower door section. At the same time the upper section, being released by upward movement of the lower section, closes by its own weight. The sections are brought to a stop upon the engagement of the bumpers 23 with the truckable sill. During the closing movement, motor 53 is controlled by switching mechanism 68 to be slowed down as the door nears closed position. The operating mechanism above described is the subject matter of the copending application of Norton, Karmel and Tucker, Serial Number 368,424, filed December 4, 1940.

Referring to Figure 2 the construction is the same as Figure 1 except that no power operation is provided and the control of the lock is modified. A bar 10 is slidabl supported in a bracket H secured to the upper door section and is connected to bell crank lever 40. The end of a lever 12 extends in the path of movement of the left hand end of this rod. This lever is mounted on a shaft 13 rotatably supported by a bracket 14 secured to the guide rail 28. Also secured to this shaft is a lever 15, the upper end of which carries an operating roller 16. This roller is adapted to be engaged by a stationary cam carried by the elevator car to move lever 12 into position out of the path of movement of bar 18 when the car is stopped at the floor. This enables clockwise movement of operating lever 48 to unlock and open the door by hand. However, when the car is away from the floor, the cam is disengaged from the roller so that lever 12 is in the path of movement of rod 10 preventing the unlocking of the door.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, each section of the door comprises a frame made up from an angle 84 bent at right angles at the corners, the ends being joined together as by welding. The space inside the frame is filled in with panels 82 and, 83, see Figure l. The panels are secured to the frame by bolts 88. Flame angles 92 are secured as by welding to the sides of the frame. The truckable sill is welded to the top of the lower door section frame while an astragel H8 is secured to the bottom of the upper door section frame by bolts III. A plurality of steel bars H5 are provided on top of the upper door section, being secured to the frame by bolts I It at spaced intervals. A stiffener bar. I03is secured. to the bottom of the frame of the lower door section by bolts I04.

Reference may now be had to Figures 3, 4, and 6 which illustrate the construction of the guides and guide rails. The guide rails and 26 are shown as in the form of angle members and are secured to an angle member I30 on each side of the door opening, angle members I30 in turn being secured to the structural framework of the hatchway. The guide rails are secured to the angle members I30 as by welding. The dimensions of the guide rails and flame angles are such that these members overlap. Also, the truckable sill is cut away at each end at I33 to clear the guide rails, as shown in Figure 4. A plate I34 provided with a projection I35 and slotted to span the guide rail is secured to the top of the astragal IIO to form a flame seal partially to close this opening.

The guide shoes 24 are alike. Each comprises a slotted shoe I intowhich the guide leg of the guide rail extends. The shoe is formed with a hub I4I from which extends a stem I42 having an enlarged cylindrical portion I43. An aperture I 44 is provided in the flame angle and door frame into which the enlarged portion I43 slidably extends. The end of the stem is threaded and extends through an aperture I45 in the yoke portion of a chair bracket I46. This bracket is secured by bolts I41 to the door frame. A compression spring I48 is provided on the stem between the shoulder I50 formed by enlarged portion I43 and the yoke portion of the bracket. This spring acts to maintain the guide shoe extended into position for cooperating with the guide rail. Nuts I'5I are provided on the threaded end of the stem for adjusting the position of the guide shoe with respect to the guide rail and for looking it in adjusted position. In case of fire the expansion of the door sections causes the springs to compress, so that the door expands without straining either the door frames or the guide rails. Also, with this construction the .door sections may be mounted with the guide shoes thereon and with the guide rails in place by compressing the springs I48 sufliciently to place the guide shoes on the rails.

The stops 66, upon which the truckable sill rests when the door is open, each. comprises a bracket I secured to guiderail 26. A clip I56 in the form of an inverted U is provided on the horizontal extending arm I51 of the bracket. The clip is secured to the bracket by a bolt I58 extending through the clip and bracket. Each leg of the clip is provided with a vertical slot I60 through which the bolt extends for adjustably positioning the clip on the bracket. In adjusting the clip, shims are placed between the top of the clip and the bracket, thereby providing a solid foundation for supporting the sill in adjusted position. Stop members I6I are secured as by welding to the underside of the truckable sill for engaging stops 66 when the door is open. Slots I62 are provided in the stop members for .clearances for cross-shaft 58.

The stop members I 6| also serve to engage the fire latch levers I64 in case of fire upon the stretching or breaking of chains 21. The fire latch levers are mounted on guide rails 26 on each side 01' the hatchway. The upper section is preferably provided with stops I secured to guide rails 26 to limit its downward movement.

In the case of pass type doors, the construction illustrated, a space exists between the top of the upper door section and the hatchway wall. To seal this space against flame and smoke a movable lintel I8I is provided as illustrated in Figure '1. The lintel is supported by a plurality of rods I82 extending at spaced intervals downwardly from the lower section of the door above. A guide shoe I is secured to the lintel at each end thereof for sliding on the same guide rails 25 as the lower door section to guide the lintel in the opening and closing movements of the door.

The invention is applicable to the in line doors as well as to the pass type. In case of in line type doors the upper and lower door sections would be guided on the same guide rails. The invention is also applicable to single section doors and to doors used for closing openings other than elevator hatchway openings such as warehouse doors. Many variations in the construction of the door may be made. Therefore, as many changes could'be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

'What is claimed is:

In a vertical bi-parting counterbalanced elevator hatchway door installation in which guide rails are provided for the door at the sides thereof and in which each section of the door comprises a frame and has guide shoes on each side thereof for sliding on said rails to guide said section in the opening and closing of said door, each guide shoe comprising, a guide member having a slot into which the guide rail extends, a stem extending from said guide member having a threaded end and an enlarged cylindrical portion adjacent said member, a compression spring on said stem and nuts on the threaded end of the stem, the frame of the door for which the guide shoe is provided having an aperture through which said stem. extends and which cooperates with said cylindrical portion to guide said guide member for inward and outward movement, a chair bracket secured tosuch frame on the inner side thereof straddling said stem, the yoke portion of said bracket having an aperture through which said stem extends to further guide said guide member, said compression spring being positioned between said yoke portion and the shoulder formed by said cylindrical portion for biasing said guide member to extended position for cooperation with the guide rail, and the nuts being provided for adjusting the position of said guide member with respect to the guide rail and for locking it in adjusted position, the clearance between said guide members and the frames being sufiicient for said door sections to expand in case of fire against the force of said springs without straining either the door sections or the guide rails.

CLIFFORD NORTON. BENJAMIN WI-II'IEHEAD TUCKER, JR. 

